God's Creation and "Sea Monsters" (Genesis 1:21) - Severian of Gabala

 from translation and introduction by Robert C. Hill

for IV Press series "ANCIENT CHRISTIAN TEXTS" (2010)

Homilies on Creation and Fall (page 11) ISBN 9780830829071

God made the huge sea monsters,

then,

and God saw that they were all good.

Why did he say good in the plural, 

and not in the singular for the 

multitudes? When he made the stars

and sun and moon, however,

with many things made, he says 

God saw that it was good (1:18).  There were

many stars, their vast number beyond counting,

and he did not say, God say that they were good,

but IT was good.  Why?

Because even if there were many stars, they came

from one light, and all met the same need,

being assigned to providing light.  In this case, 

since there was a great variety of creeping things,

winged things, and swimming things. . . and since there

were many and varied species in each genus,

he says God said that they were good.

There is commendation also for the variety of

the works.